Wilson has unique apreciation for UNM's triple-option offense

Updated 12:41 am, Friday, December 9, 2016

Coach Frank Wilson gets a water-cooler dousing from his players after UTSA defeated Charlotte at the Alamodome on Nov. 26, 2016.

Coach Frank Wilson gets a water-cooler dousing from his players after UTSA defeated Charlotte at the Alamodome on Nov. 26, 2016.

Photo: Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

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UTSA coach Frank Wilson looks at the scoreboard during the first half against Arizona State on Sept. 16, 2016, in San Antonio.

UTSA coach Frank Wilson looks at the scoreboard during the first half against Arizona State on Sept. 16, 2016, in San Antonio.

Photo: Darren Abate /Associated Press

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UTSA guard Kyle McKinney (from left), head coach Frank Wilson, Zach Pare, and others stand during the school song after the game with Arizona State on Sept. 16, 2016 at the Alamodome. The Sun Devils won 32-28.

UTSA guard Kyle McKinney (from left), head coach Frank Wilson, Zach Pare, and others stand during the school song after the game with Arizona State on Sept. 16, 2016 at the Alamodome. The Sun Devils won 32-28.

Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

Wilson has unique apreciation for UNM's triple-option offense

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It's no surprise that UTSA coach Frank Wilson has been impressed with the potent New Mexico ground attack his team will face Dec. 17 at the New Mexico Bowl.

Wilson has always enjoyed option running attacks, dating back to his childhood growing up in New Orleans.

Back then, Wilson eschewed the typical fandom of many of his friends by extensively rooting for the Oklahoma teams of the late 1980s coached by Barry Switzer.

While others around him might have been cheering for Grambling or LSU or Alabama, Wilson enjoyed the flashy Sooners' attack keyed by quarterback Jamelle Holieway and a stable of fast Sooner backs.

"I was a big Oklahoma in those days," Wilson said. "At that time, me growing up, Oklahoma and Nebraska were the teams and it was kind of like what the spread offense was today. It was natural to see those things and I was a running back and I have a great appreciation for it."

Video: Frank video on his appreciation for UNM rushing

And when Switzer and Co. were hanging "half a hundred" on a hapless opponent as the bombastic OU coach loved to crow about, Wilson was among their biggest fans in South Louisiana.

"I just liked it," he said. "It was a fun and exciting brand of football that scored a lot of points back then. Football has evolved in a lot of ways but at the same time it was the run/pass offense of that time and it's just a different version of it."

Much like those Sooner teams, New Mexico features a potent rushing game with astronomical yard-per carry averages. Teriyon Gipson and Tyrone Owens, who both have already rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, rank 1-2 in the NCAA's most recent statistics for yards per carry. Gipson is first at 9.23 and Owens is behind him at 8.09 yards per carry.

It makes it difficult for Wilson to compare the Lobos to any team the Roadrunners have faced this season.

"They are totally different from what we have seen," Wilson said. "They are rare in the things they do, unless you are talking about Navy or Air Force or a team like that. We haven't seen an offense like that in any point of the season."

And unlike back in his youth, he hoping that big numbers and a lot of points from the option isn't forthcoming this time around -- at least in his bowl game.